Germany is investigating suspicions that Russia was behind a string of recent terror attacks committed by asylum seekers, The Telegraph understands.

German intelligence officials are exploring the theory that Russia sought to recruit mentally ill and/or extremist asylum seekers to commit the attacks ahead of the Feb 23 election.

The goal, security sources said, would have been to increase support for the far-Right, pro-Kremlin Alternative for Germany (AfD) party just before Germans cast their votes.

“Some of these attacks happened when the AfD had a low curve in its popularity,” a German security source said. “We know the Russians are using second-hand agents, little guys on the street to make it more difficult to understand who is behind it.”

Over a 10-month period leading up to February’s general election, asylum seekers and refugees committed five terror attacks in the cities of Mannheim, Solingen, Magdeburg, Aschaffenburg and Munich.

The wave of terrorism put mass migration firmly at the centre of the German election debate, especially as so many of the perpetrators were subject to deportation orders when they struck.